Three Reasons for Robin

[saintchristopher]

If Nolan & co. can write Robin into the story in a tasteful way, then by all means they should do it.

However, I'm going to have to insist that they go the way of Batman: the Animated Series and make Robin a late-age teenager. To me, putting a straight-up kid (a la Hit Girl) into Nolan's Gotham wouldn't feel right.

I think if they were gonna go this route, they should cast someone like Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the role. Thinking about that animated series Dick Grayson, who was between the ages of 18-24, JGL would be a perfect match.

 

[saintchristopher]

Anyone besides me liked Batman Beyond? My friends (Like me) are into DC comics and batman but I'm the only one who liked this incarnation of the franchise.

Anyway, back on topic. I agree 100% Robin should show up in the next movie.

They're starting a run of Batman Beyond comics in June. You'd probably like it.

 

[Dmatix]

Robin, if portrayed well, can make the next Batman movie much more interesting and fun. done wrong however, and we can end out with another Batman&Robin (and god knows we don't want that).
Oh crap, I just realized that they might get Shia Labeouf to play Robin! Run for the hills, the end is nigh!

 

[GodKlown]

I would like to see Robin added, only if they actually make the character feel like part of the movie. In that last incarnation of the Batman movie franchise where they had Robin, he just felt tacked on and more like an annoying little kid than any help whatsoever to the movie.
I am all for adding Robin to the mix, so long as they make him a useful part of the team. Sadly though, they haven't provided many clues towards there being a Robin included in the next movie so they'd almost have to pull him out of thin air for this to happen. Still, I think he could make this last Batman a decent one if done right.

 

[Sporky111]

I had no idea you had gotten so much flak from your Losers review. I thought it was a great idea (I had just watched Kick Ass before I saw it).

I think Robin would have seemed a bit out-of-place in the Dark Knight, but since he hasn't shown up in any of the movies for so long that's probably what they intended.

But, when I think of bringing him back I think of the show Teen Titans. In that one, Robin is a leader, he's well grounded but also has moments of volatility, and he's an exciting fighter. If they brought Robin back in that type of character, where he's a ground for Batman but also looking out for him at the same time, I'd be more than happy to watch it.

Imagine:

Batman is nearly overwhelmed by the band of thugs. The leader is laughing already as he can almost taste his victory. Then, just as his men close in on the Batman a huge crash is heard and dust and debris fill the room.

The Batmobile skids to a halt in the room, the hatch opens and reveals a masked teenage boy. One thug jumps onto the vehicle and is swiftly dispatched by the young man, as he wields his quarterstaff with strenth and ease...

The villains are swiftly defeated by the Duo.

"I told you to stay behind." Batman tells his companion.

"You needed the help." Robin replies snidely.

Yeah, I think that could work. But I think he's also due for a costume update.

 

[MailOrderClone]

My problem isn't with Robin, it's with Dick Grayson. While Robin may fit well into a new Batman film, Grayson, and particularly his origin, would really stick out like a sore thumb. The 'lone survivor of a fatal circus mishap taken in by Bruce Wayne' backstory really goes against the overall tone of the movie.

Fortunately, there's more then one Robin.

Tim Drake, the third Robin, would probably make for an ideal choice. He's a bright young man who actually does really enjoy being a superhero, although he doesn't see himself doing it forever. His father was a small-time crook who ended up getting killed, and he, too, found himself adopted into the Wayne family and wearing the red and black Robin costume.

Damien Wayne is another idea, and a character that could actually be worked into the plot threads left over from Batman Begins. See, his story is that he is Bruce Wayne's son, having spent his early life with his mother, Talia Al-Ghul, learning to be an assassin and a certifiable master of whoop-ass. That could dovetail right into the ninja mountain deal from Begins.

Also, historically, there have been at least two female Robins should that seem more appealing (if, you know, Nolan were interested in going full Hit-Girl on this). One was Stephanie Brown, the daughter of a second-rate supervillain who took over the mantle of Robin briefly (and is currently Batgirl), and an alternate continuity Robin from the Dark Knight Returns, a girl named Carrie Kelly whose parents are amazingly inattentive, and who started going out and fighting crime simply for the fun of it.

So, yeah. Lots of choice here, if we want to skip over the circus shenanigans.

 

[Eldarion]

Anyone besides me liked Batman Beyond? My friends (Like me) are into DC comics and batman but I'm the only one who liked this incarnation of the franchise.

Anyway, back on topic. I agree 100% Robin should show up in the next movie.

They're starting a run of Batman Beyond comics in June. You'd probably like it.

YaY

Oh, while we are on the subject of robin, I think they could add him into the next movie pretty easy. Maybe they show his family getting murdered by.....someone....and then have robin wandering the city in his circus costume hunting down the culprit bent on revenge so that batman can steer him down the right path or something....

Would be a convenient way to add him and add motivation to go after whatever villain they add for the next movie. OH I bet Ra's al Ghul would be a great bad guy to add at this point.

Edited cause of brain fart for a sec there.

 

[Rhino of Steel]

Since Nolan is so opposed to the idea of Robin this all sadly seems beside the point as he won't be in the next one anyway. They could always go with the other sidekick, Batgirl. That way they can keep the dark, gritty feel if they also give us her change to Oracle. Actually, if they did that it may well trump the level of darkness in TDK.

Failing that, just give us Ace.

 

[Namewithheld]

Batman Beyond was fucking awesome.


...er...

And I actually think Bob makes great points and if Nolan can slip Robin in without futzing it up, then all power to him.

 

[Styphax]

Plus if the Batman franchise is going to live on after this installment, they need to do a drastic turn from the realism aspects. I'm not sure how they'll do this probably slowly, a villain like Mr. Freeze, Dr. Destiny, or Poison Ivy would be a nice little science fiction turn, or hell do Dr. Hurt, the character is only 2 years old. But back to Robin and all that, the Bat-family would be another way to drive this franchise for a long time. You add in Dick Grayson, and now you have potential for him to become Nightwing, then Jason Todd to give batman continued motivation to be Batman. (Let's face it one of the differences between Batman and Wolverine is that Batman actually gets new stuff to be brooding about). After Jason you have Tim and Damian, not to mention other players, Batgirl (Barbara Gordon obviously), Huntress etc... The more characters you have around him the more interesting Batman becomes.

But I think Nolan is driven to his idea that this is a young realistic Batman, so odds are this will be his last movie, and then the Batman franchise will have to get Spidermaned (Rebooted yet again). Fortunately DC was smart for hiring Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, and Marv Wolfman as consultants on all of their movies. Not to mention the DC Entertainment top brass are all comic creators, who all seem to have a lot to do with the movies; so hopefully we won't end up with a horrible reboot of Batman in the vein that some spidey fans are dreading.

 

[About To Crash]

Well, it's interesting. I like Robin in the comics, because I honestly think he has the best story. I mean, the kid grows up and becomes Nightwing, and has an affair with an orange alien woman in the process. Cool. However, The Dark Knight was extremely popular and brought in tons of money, and I almost see it getting the treatment I kind of see in the God of War series. That is, Marketing or whoever recognizing what sells about the product, then ramping up the dial to a ridiculous degree. It's possible that the grittiness in the next Batman movie will attempt to be even greater, and would probably just come off as silly.

I do want to see Robin. I don't want an extremely gritty twist on his story, because I think it works very well. I am interested to see how they could spice it up, though. But I heard, don't quote me on this, that Nolan would only do another Batman if there was no Robin anywhere to be found. Could anyone shed some light on how much truth is in that, or why he'd say so, if he did?

Also, thanks Moviebob, you've done an awful lot to push me to think about the movies I see, rather than always take them at face value.

 

[gartoo]

The only problem with this is Dick Grayson's origin story which quite frankly doesn't work with the current build of Batman we have. And even Tim Drake's origin specifically requires a previous Robin for him to replace so unless you completely rewrite the origin story for robin then you sort of have to avoid him or devote the entire movie to giving Bat's the necessary character development to actually take a Robin under his wing.
However, co-opting the origin of, or just plan using, another character's origin could work. Take Batgirl/Barbabra Gordon. She is the niece of Jim Gordon who chooses to copy Batman and be his sidekick independently of any outside encouragement. She just shows up and sort of forces Batman to accept her and in some stories actually considers herself more of a freelancer as opposed to Tim and Drake being handpicked and personally trained by the Batman. Basically, the sidekick for Batman3 is going to have to be self motivated because right now it would be irresponsible and against Batman's character to risk a kids life in his war on crime while dodging the police. Maybe after a sidekick forces themselves into the fight would Batman even consider bringing in a Robin.
I'm not saying Robin couldn't work. It's just that to bring him in without destroying the character of Batman or Robin would be incredibly difficult and almost preclude other characters from being used in later films

 

[maninahat]

Reading this reminds me of how stupid the ending of The Dark Knight is. Not only would it have made much more sense for Batman to have blamed Two-Face's actions on the Joker, it would of hammered in the fact that the Joker succeeded 100% in demeaning someone to his own level.

In the current version, Gotham's symbol of justice has been compromised (the world thinks he is now a serial killer) for no adequate reason. It is the most significant plot hole (of many) in the movie, because it dictates how the sequel will turn out: It will be some tedious story in which the superhero has to prove to the world that he isn't a bad guy. Kind of boring, since we already know he isn't a bad guy. Plus the Spiderman films have already gone with that exact same plot in every movie.

 

[Vault Citizen]

I don't think Robin would fit in with the story that Chris Nolan is telling with what will ultimately a trilogy, though if he did I think Jason Todd would fit better with what he is trying to do than Dick Grayson.

 

[Dok Zombie]

Since Nolan is so opposed to the idea of Robin this all sadly seems beside the point as he won't be in the next one anyway. They could always go with the other sidekick, Batgirl. That way they can keep the dark, gritty feel if they also give us her change to Oracle. Actually, if they did that it may well trump the level of darkness in TDK.

Failing that, just give us Ace.

Wait... why has nobody suggested this yet? Batgirl has all the qualities of Robin that people have listed, with the added interest of Oracle.

THIS MAN TALKS SENSE!

It's perfect, we've already seen the Gordon kids in TDK, the next film could be set years later, with Batman as an established figure in Gotham city, and he takes her under his wing, only for her to be paralysed in the line of duty, leaving Batman feeling guilty for it.

*Shameless self-plug in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...*

AAAAND, combine this with my Harley Quinn idea (see above) and you have a great theme of hero-worship going awry and the impressionable effect that characters like Batman and Joker have on young people.

Screw Nolan, me and you will make this movie!

 

[Generic_Dave]

I've no problem with the "Boy Wonder" as it were, I think what's his face...one moment (I'm IMDB-ing)...Chris O'Donnell was quite good in Forever. The only problem I can see with Robin in the next Batman film is the fact that he's going to have to be dumped in fresh, origin story and all...then suiting up, and all the crap that goes with it, better to introduce the character in the next, have the parents killed and then have him give a hand-out in a non-Robin role in the film, and then have him set up as a proper Robin in number 4.

Just because Robin is only in bad films, doesn't necessarily make him a bad character...

That said, if all they bring him in for is silly one liners and innuendos (think "bat-grrrrl" in Batman & Robin) then leave him at home. He might be there to slightly lighten the mood and to give Batman a more positive goal, but this is a dark series, the world in it is more gritty and realistic than the aforementioned Iron Man or most other Marvel films. And trepidation should also be felt in what happened when the 90's films went down the "Gee isn't this fun route".

Oh, and finally, he should be there if the story warrants, not just to have him in the film. If he is not there from the start of thinking about the script its pointless to add him later.

 

[thisberichard]

I'd just like to note that I registered for the sole purpose of making this post - after following the Escapist since the second Zero Punctuation on the site.

That said.

When you initially asserted that Robin would make a good addition, I was dubious, but I did not out-and-out dismiss the idea. I find that I share roughly 70% of the ideas you voice here and on the game overthinker, so I didn't rule out the possibility. But I didn't really understand it.

Then I saw Kick-Ass.

Combining what I saw of Hit Girl with the atmosphere of Nolan's Batman, it clicked. I understood. It's not that Robin would be a poor addition, I realized, but that the way Robin is widely portrayed and imagined. He could be done better. He could be done well. And, if so, he could be a gorgeous addition.

 

[Geamo]

It depends on which Robin. Dick Grayson had a frankly bland and kinda boring backstory, but I *loved* him as Nightwing. Jason Todd would be around, but everyone would be waiting for the inevitable parallel with his comic death. Tim Drake is pretty good though, and he'd be a good choice.

Also, as someone mentioned earlier, Batgirl might be a good addition.

 

[Twilight_guy]

I'd appreciate Robin if only to slightly the counter the pretentious "Batman is serious business" approach. Yes, we get it, we see what you're doing. Add a little fun, it's a guy in a batsuit for crying out loud.

Also, I do think that a Batman story without Robin is like a Penutbutter and jelly sandwich with no jelly. Still enjoyable, but missing that little extra zing.

 

[FolkLikePanda]

He should be some kid who just randomly turns up and helps, I think then it wouldn't seem so gay him and batman being together all the time.